Tirion Fordring
Tirion Fordring was one of the first five Knights of the Silver Hand selected by Archbishop Alonsus Faol, and was one of the heroes of the Second War.Tides of Darkness, 83 He later became Lord of Mardenholde Keep in Hearthglen before being stripped of his title and exiled for defending an orc, Eitrigg. Following the recent death of his son Taelan Fordring, Tirion committed himself to refounding the order of the Silver Hand. Biography Eitrigg incident As the governor of the Alliance principality of Hearthglen, Tirion lived a comfortable life, well-respected by his subjects and loved by his wife Karanda and son Taelan. Both a great warrior and a just ruler, Tirion was renowned throughout the Kingdom of Lordaeron. In spite of his acclaimed military prowess, Tirion's experience as a paladin during the orcish invasions had taught him to value peace. After the wars were over, Tirion prayed every night that no conflict would ever bring harm to his subjects again. One day, he encountered an old orc hermit living in an abandoned tower. The two immediately battled and traded blows until a piece of the ruined tower collapsed on Tirion, knocking him senseless. He awoke in his bed days later and discovered that he had been found badly beaten, tied to his saddle, and had been healed by his ambitious second, Barthilas. Realizing that the orc had saved him, Tirion set out and retraced his steps back to the tower. The orc Eitrigg told Tirion that, before the coming to Azeroth, the orcs had been a noble society rooted in shamanism. After the war, he had left the corrupt Horde. Tirion, seeing great honor in Eitrigg, promised to keep his existence a secret, returning to his people and informing them that the orc had been dealt with and was not a threat. Barthilas was not so confident, and called Saidan Dathrohan to come and settle the matter himself. Dathrohan picked up the trail and led a group of hunters into the woods, where they found Eitrigg. During the orc's capture, Tirion fought against Dathrohan's men, prompting Barthilas to gleefully note that his actions were treasonous. Tirion was brought to Stratholme to stand trial. Despite Karandra's pleas to forget his honor and tell the jury what they wanted to hear, Tirion, hoping to be an example to his son, told the court exactly what had happened. Ultimately, the jury of Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, Arch-Mage Antonidas, Archbishop Alonsus Faol, and Prince Arthas Menethil decided that since Tirion had assaulted Alliance soldiers, he could no longer be a member of the Knights of the Silver Hand and was sentenced to exile. Uther the Lightbringer performed a ceremony to strip Tirion of his powers and sent him home to gather some supplies. Desperate to prevent Eitrigg from being executed for war crimes, Tirion rode back to Stratholme, where he attacked Eitrigg's guards. Surprised, they still managed to subdue him, until a group of orcs stormed into the city. Tirion used the distraction to free Eitrigg and flee the city. When they were in the wilds, Tirion saw that Eitrigg was near death, and did the only thing he could do; call upon the powers of the Light to heal the orc who had saved him. To his surprise, he still had the powers blessed by the Light and Eitrigg was saved. They abruptly found themselves surrounded by orcs and a new Warchief, Thrall, who approached Eitrigg and invited him back into the Horde — which had since reverted back to its shamanistic roots once more. Eitrigg was thrilled to accept. Before he left with his people, Eitrigg proclaimed that Tirion and he were brothers, bound by blood and honor. Through his actions, Tirion also gained the undying respect of Thrall, one of the few humans he holds in such high regard, and which continues to this day. Tirion remained in Lordaeron, to watch his son Taelan be inducted into the Silver Hand. His son later became the lord of Mardenholde. Tirion's wife told his son that Tirion had died, and even took him to a false grave at the Undercroft, where Taelan buried the toy warhammer his father had given him in his memory. Exile and Return Tirion lived out his exile in a small farmstead, in the northwest of what became the Eastern Plaguelands, on the shores of the Thondroril River with his trusty horse, Mirador. During the Third War he often fought off the undead Scourge. He was dismayed to find later that his son, Taelan, joined the Scarlet Crusade, and even became the highlord of that order. Nonetheless, he kept watching his son from afar, and even enlisted some adventurers to help him as he and a few Crusaders became trapped in the small village of Cinderhome, surrounded by Scourge forces who were interrupting the Crusade's attempt to re-settle the area.Lands of Conflict, 111 Later, Tirion turned to adventurers yet again to have them collect mementos of his son's past which finally enabled him to convince his son to leave the Crusade, only to see him killed in the attempt. Spurred by his son's death, Tirion resolved to reform the original Silver Hand as a force of good in the world. World of Warcraft Tirion Fordring is a level 61 elite quest giver located by a cottage near the southwestern end of Terrorweb Tunnel in the contested territory of the Eastern Plaguelands. He readily accepts help from both the Horde and Alliance in his quest line, in following his assertions that race does not dictate honor, and from what he learned from his encounter with Eitrigg. He starts the following quests: * http://www.wowhead.com/quest=5543/blood-tinged-skies * http://www.wowhead.com/quest=5544/carrion-grubbage * http://www.wowhead.com/quest=5542/demon-dogs When all three above are complete, the following become available: * http://www.wowhead.com/quest=5742/redemption#screenshots ** http://www.wowhead.com/quest=5781/of-forgotten-memories *** http://www.wowhead.com/quest=5845/of-lost-honor **** http://www.wowhead.com/quest=5848/of-love-and-family ***** http://www.wowhead.com/quest=5861/find-myranda Personality Rising from the ranks of a knight and later a paladin, Tirion Fordring was a man of honor — and his commitment to upholding his honor no matter the cost often brought him into conflict with his family and friends. His wife Karandra Fordring often lamented the sacrifices she had to make in order to adapt to her husband's tendency to place his personal honor above everything else - his family included. So, for instance, when Fordring attempted to explain to his wife and to his long-time friend Arden that his commitment to saving the life of Eitrigg was a matter of honor, he encountered, for the most part, a total lack of understanding, with both Arden and Karandra arguing that he also has a responsibility to his family and his subjects — a responsibility he should not neglect in the name of honor. Tirion's honor, therefore, was the ultimate cause of his downfall — during his trial, he was offered an opportunity to be restored to good standing within the Alliance if only he would renounce the vow he gave to Eitrigg. Tirion refused, saying that his honor precluded him from doing so. In the end, Tirion Fordring paid heavily for the honor he held in such high esteem. Not only was he stripped of his office and estates, but his family — Karandra Fordring and Taelan — refused to accompany him into exile, his wife stating that she would not let him ruin their lives as he had ruined his own. Thus, after his rescue of Eitrigg from the gallows in Stratholme, honor was very much the only thing Tirion still had. After his exile and the fall of Lordaeron to the Scourge, Tirion fell into inactivity, feeling there was no reason for him to fight. That all changed, however, with the . Filled with righteous anger at the loss of his beloved son, Tirion vowed to reestablish the Knights of the Silver Hand, to oppose the spread of evil in the world. Locations Tirion can be seen in the Eastern Kingdoms. These are all of the places where he will appear: *Thondroril River, Eastern Plaguelands *Outskirts of Hearthglen, Western Plaguelands (spawns during ) Gallery File:TirionAshbringerComic.jpg|Tirion rescues Highlord Mograine during the Second War. File:Tirionfordring.JPG|Tirion slays undead in the Plaguelands. Quotes ''Of Blood and Honor'' *You are assuming that there are more orcs out there, Barthilas. I was there, and I saw none. I will not sound the call to arms before we've confirmed the facts. This is not the time to start jumping at shadows. We must remain calm and vigilant. *'Taelan:' Are you going to fight the green men, Poppa? :Tirion: I don't know yet, son. I just don't know. *I will remain committed to the Alliance until my dying day. Of that, have no doubt. But I cannot disavow the oath I took. To do so would be to betray everything I am and everything we, as honorable men, hold dear. Tirion's Story in his own words After completing his first three quests, this conversation opens with Tirion, as part of the next quest in his chain: :I must apologize for not being entirely truthful with you in regards to my identity. I had to be certain you could be trusted — few people would have selflessly lent assistance to an old and forgotten hermit. :You have proven yourself as one of those people: A person of integrity and honor. Thank you, Tirion. What of your identity? :My son, Taelan, was only a child when I was found guilty of treason and banished by the Alliance to live a life in exile. I chose to remain here so that I could watch over him; to somehow insure that he would grow up an honorable man. :As I had hoped, he took my place as lord of Mardenholde; but in a cruel twist of fate, joined the ranks of the Scarlet Crusade. He is now their Highlord, . That is terrible. :Indeed. The Scarlet Crusade are an aberration of the Order of the Silver Hand. :You must believe me, ; Taelan is a good man. He needs to remember...remember what it is to be noble and honorable. I know that in his heart, he knows what he does is wrong. Will you help him? Will you help him remember? I will, Tirion. * * References External links Category:Human quest givers Category:Knights Category:Paladins Category:Major characters Category:Eastern Plaguelands NPCs Category:Old Hillsbrad Foothills NPCs Category:Icecrown NPCs Category:Warcraft: Of Blood and Honor characters Category:World of Warcraft: Tides of Darkness characters Category:World of Warcraft: Ashbringer characters Category:World of Warcraft: Arthas: Rise of the Lich King characters Category:Lands of Conflict Category:Argent Crusade Category:Argent Dawn